HMO Conversions Bexley

HMO conversions in Bexley turn a family house into a shared house, or bring an existing HMO up to its licence standards. Bexley's borough-wide Article 4 Direction on small houses in multiple occupation came into force on 24 September 2017, so every HMO proposal here needs planning permission, including the three to six person shared houses that are permitted development elsewhere. We build to the planning consent and the council's HMO standards: room sizes, kitchens, bathrooms, fire doors and detection. The landlord applies for the licence.

In Bexley, a light HMO conversion for four to six tenants typically costs £40,000 to £75,000 in construction, or £90,000 to £150,000 with an en-suite to every bedroom (indicative London ranges, Mayfair Studio and LetCompliance, 2026). GS Renovation Ltd, a building contractor based in Potters Bar, does the work in Bexley: we build the fire doors, detection, bathrooms and kitchens to the council's HMO standards, the landlord applies for the licence, and a registered electrician certifies the electrics.

Why every Bexley HMO conversion needs planning permission

Nationally, Class L of the permitted development rules lets a house change from Class C3 to a small HMO in Class C4 without a planning application, as long as it stays a single HMO. Bexley removed that right across the whole borough with an Article 4 Direction that came into force on 24 September 2017. Its Design Guide SPD Part 2 states that since the 2017 direction all proposals for HMOs are subject to planning permission.

The practical advice from Bexley is to contact planning before starting works on any HMO conversion, because permission is likely to be required. For an owner, that puts the planning decision at the front of the programme rather than alongside the build. We price the conversion from the application drawings, and hold the start date until the consent is in, so no partitions or new bathrooms go in on a scheme that might change.

Housing in Bexley

Around 101,760 homes make up Bexley on the valuation list; 27% are flats and 73% houses, and 11% date from before 1919, 41% from between the wars and 48% from after 1945.

HMO licensing and room standards in Bexley

In Bexley a mandatory HMO licence is needed for every HMO occupied by five or more persons in two or more households, whatever the number of storeys. Bexley also runs a selective licensing scheme covering Belvedere Ward from 13 January 2025 to 12 January 2030. Outside that area, a privately rented property, including an HMO with fewer than five people, does not need a licence. The licence is the landlord's to apply for, and we build to its conditions.

The licence conditions shape the build. Bexley's Rent it Right standards ask for a floor to ceiling height of at least 2.14m over 85% of the floor area in HMO rooms. Sleeping rooms in a shared house must be at least 6.52m2 for a single and 10.23m2 for a double, and a bedsit with its own kitchen facilities at least 12m2 for a single and 15m2 for a double. Those sit just above the national minimums that every mandatory licence in England has carried since 2018: 6.51m2 for one adult, 10.22m2 for two, and no sleeping room under 4.64m2. We check each room against the drawings before the partitions go up.

Fire safety in a Bexley HMO conversion

Fire safety is the part of an HMO conversion that shapes the whole build. The recognised guide is the LACORS housing fire safety guidance, used alongside Part B of the Building Regulations for the conversion work. For a shared house of two or three storeys it points to a protected escape route: the stair and hall enclosed in fire-resisting construction, with self-closing fire doors to every bedroom and the kitchen. A mandatory licence, needed in Bexley for five or more persons in two or more households, writes the fire precautions into its conditions, and a smaller shared house still needs a safe escape route under housing law.

Detection and alarms come next. Interlinked smoke alarms in the escape route and a heat alarm in the kitchen are the usual starting point, with the grade and extent set by the size of the house and the fire risk assessment. Emergency lighting may be needed on a longer or more complex escape route. Because Bexley advises anyone converting a property into an HMO to contact planning before starting works, the fire strategy should be drawn up with the planning layout rather than bolted on afterwards, when moving a door costs far more.

Kitchens, bathrooms and outdoor space in a Bexley HMO

Shared facilities are counted per head. Bexley's HMO standards require one full set of shared cooking facilities for every 5 persons, and where five or more occupants share, at least one bath or shower and one separate toilet for every five occupants. A house let to more than five people is likely to need a second bath or shower and a second separate toilet, so confirm the count with the council's standards, and plan the kitchen to the same ratio. Those rooms take floor area away from bedrooms, which is why the layout is fixed before any walls move.

Outside space and energy complete the picture. Bexley's Design Guide SPD Part 2 says an HMO conversion should provide at least 5m2 of outdoor amenity space for 1 to 2 persons plus 1m2 per additional occupant, alongside space for bins and cycles. Since 1 April 2020 a property covered by the MEES Regulations cannot be let at an EPC rating below E without a valid exemption, and a shared house is no different. Insulation, heating controls and sound insulation between bedrooms are best fitted while the rooms are open.

• Snagging before the council's licence inspection
• Separate WCs and wash basins to the amenity standard
• Sound lining to bedroom walls and party walls

VOA Council Tax stock of properties, March 2025, for all 28 statistical areas in Bexley. Counts rounded by the VOA.

Plenty of Bexley projects start with one job and grow, so it helps to see bathroom renovation in Bexley, our Bexley area guide, what a main building contractor does, what a kitchen fit covers, how we handle hmo conversions across London and Renovation Budget & Contingency.

Working With GS Renovation in Bexley

An HMO conversion is judged twice, once by planning and once at the licensing inspection, and the build has to satisfy both. We work from the approved layout and the council's licence standards, fit the fire doors, detection and escape route before the finishes, and plan the kitchens and bathrooms to the per-head ratios. The landlord applies for planning and the licence, and we supply the drawings, programme and certificates those applications and inspections ask for. You get one contact and a written quote after a site visit.

• Article 4 and licence position checked before a room is priced
• Straight advice on what is and is not worth spending money on
• Fire doors, closers and seals fitted to every door on the escape route

Checked by Abdelaaziz Saaid, founder and director of GS Renovation Ltd (Companies House no. 14611254).